Easel.



G. B. STREIT.

EASEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9,1911.

1,020,583, Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. B. STREIT.

EASEL.

- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9,1911. 1,020,583. Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Attnrurgn one Gnome B. srnnrr, or DETROIT. MICHIGAN.

EASEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19,1912.

Application filed June 9, 1911. Serial No. 632.104.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, Gnonon B. S'rnnrr. a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne. State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Easels, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to easels for supporting advertising cards, or other articles. It has for its object an easel which is adapted to so interlock that the parts may not become separated although it is subjected to knocks and falls. i

In the drawings Figure 1, is a view of the easel attached to a card andincollapsed condition, ready for shipment. Fig.

- for shipment. In this easel the knob on the projection is omitted. Fig. 5 is a side ele-' vation of the easel shown in Fig. lwith parts broken away to show the bendable tongue.

The easel may be made with either one back-stay member or two back-stay -1nem bers; In the drawings the one hack-stay member variety is shown. It'iscut from the blank of the shape shown in Fig. l which comprises a rectangular vertical strip included within the lines eb. bo, (?(l, and (7-0, to which is added at one side a triangular strip A which forms the backstay member, and which is bounded in the blank by the lines a@, e-? and Z a-. Line Z -e, which separates the triangular: from the rectangular strip is scored from Z to j and from f to 72. However. a curved cut is described from f to h indenting into the rectangular strip forming a rib-stay C.

From the point it on the continuing line" [IE-61, the blank is cuta short distance along said line and then indents into the back after.

stay member A with a curved line 7:Z, forminga lobe D. The cut is continued from the point Z across the rectangular strip to thepointj. The piece included by this cut IL. L. Z, 9', c, b, forms a lockingtongue B, which has an integral connection with the back-stay member A at bf. The remaining portion of the vertical rectangir lar strip l. e, d. y, forms a supporting-plate l. The opposite edge, 71a, of the backstay member A has a cut-away portion which is included between the points 6 "and 5. This cut-away portion has a bottom edge which is inclined somewhat at an angle to the outside edge. Rising in about the center of the cut-awayportion and flush with the opposite edge is the projection 2, which is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 with the knob 2 on its under side. This knob, however, may be omitted, as in Figs. 4 and 5, and its particula'r use in connection with the locking feature will be explained hereafter. In Figs.

4 and 5 a similar efi'ect is secured by mak-.

ing the outlying portion of the under edge of the projection 2 farther from the hinging axis of the tongue than the inward portion the. distance gradually lessening toward. the bottom of the notch 4. The pro jection 2 forms with the opposite sides of the cut-awa portion, notch es 3 and 4. The upper boundary of the notch 3 indicated in the drawings will he called the indenting edge 1. This indenting edge is an impor tant feature of nit invent-iorfnnd its function will be explained more at length here- In the lobe I), and in line with the line e in the blank,'is cut an eye I. A circular aperture E is cut in the locking tongue B to be used as a means of grasping the tongue.

The operation of the easel in looking is as follows: The back-stay member is bent to a right-angular relation with the tongue B and the supportingplate F. The tongue B is then. grasped by the finger, inserted through the aperture E, and swung back to the projection 52 as shown in Fig. 2. The positionof the eye I with reference to the projection 2 is so calculated that it will just register ,over the top of the projection 2. \Vhcn the free portion of the tongue is straightened. the eye may be readily-fitted 0V6! the projection 2 and knob 2','and when the straighteningtension is abated, the look ing tongue assumes its ordinary position and draws the lobe under the knob 2. In

back-stay mlimber. 26

Figs. 4 and 5 this engagement is brought reach so as to slip over the indenting edge-'1.-

The calculations are' such that when the tongue is straightened, the upper edge of vthe lobe D will just slip over the indenting. edge. \Vhen the-straightening tension is released the tongue B will resmne its normal tendency, br1ngin the upper edge of the lobe into such close frictional engagement that the tongue can rarely be disengaged without applying lifting-effort directly thereunder. i

The rib stay C is, shown by the drawing, formed by concaving the locking-tongue. i This stay ad t ls considerable rigidity to the I It is also a feature of this easel that the back-stay member and locking-tongue interlock at a point in the 1' ar and below the center where experiment shows that reinforcement is anost needed. D

Figs. l. and 5, also show the tandemtongue locking means. Each tongue may be made to lock over the knob or the frictional engagement may be depended upon alone. The tandem-tongue is desirable and useful in the largcr easels as'it adds both locking security and i-einforcing strength.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. An easel, having in combination a backstay member, having on one edge a projection provided with a knob, a locking-tongue connected with the opposite edge of said back-stay member and having a tendency to normally lie at the base ofsaid back stay member and provided with a lobe having an eyelet, the said locking-tongue being adaptedto be straightened so that the said eyelet will fit over the projectiorr and its knob and the tongue, having a tende'ncy to resnmeits normal positionfwill draw the substance of the lobe surrounding-the eyelet below the knob of said projection, substantially as described.

stay member provided on one edge with a notch having opposed faces, and a lockingtongue connected with the opposite edge of saidba ck-stay men'iber and having a tendency to normally lie at the base of said back stay member and provided with a lobe ennotch, the said engagement being enhanced tongue, substantially as described.

3. An easel, having in combination a backstaymiember, a locking-tongue integral'at one end with one edge of the said back-stay member, and at the other end having a locking engagement with said back-stay member, a rib-stay integral with 'theback-stay member foldable with respect thereto; and located intermediate the ends olsaid tongue,

' substantially as described.

4, An easel, having incombination a back- ',stay member,

nected with one edge thereof and having a tendency to normally lie at the base of said back stay member, and at its other end engaging against the opposite edge of said back-stay member, said back-stay member GEORGE B. STREIT.

Witnesses:

STUART (J. Bans as, Asses IIIPKINS.

2.- An easel, having in combination aback gaging between the opposing facesof the by the drawing tendency of said locking-' being provided, with an edge portion origua bendable locking-tongue con- 

